1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a device for use in playing golf or golf-related activities. More specifically, the present invention is directed to a putter which provides improved putting control.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Those who play the game of golf are aware of the importance of the putting aspect of the game in achieving good scores. For example, in a single round of golf in which a player has a stroke total of 90, the player's stroke total may consist of more than 30 putts. Thus, the putting aspect of the game can account for a third (or more) of the strokes taken by a player during any particular round. It has always been desirable to develop putting devices and/or methods which improve the putting accuracy, and therefore lower the total number of putting strokes.
The significance of good putting is reflected in the large number of putting clubs commercially available and sold each year. Players are typically looking for a putting club that will increase their putting "touch"--that is comfortable to swing and will allow them to strike the golf ball accurately and consistently. The great majority of these putting clubs can be classified as "traditional" putters. The traditional putter includes a shaft that is generally 33 to 35 inches in length, with a putting head at one end of the shaft and a grip at the other end of the shaft. The putting head can be shaped in various configurations, but will typically have a flat face for striking a golf ball. The grip is generally 12 inches long and formed from a rubber-type material (although other materials could be used), and fits over the end of the shaft. In prior art putters, the grip has a particular shape that is designed so that the player will hold the golf club in the conventional manner (described below). FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a prior art putter gripper, wherein the grip is shaped such that the front face of the grip (the portion that faces away from the player when the putter is swung) is flattened, allowing the player to place his or her thumbs in a downwardly-pointing direction, according to the conventional putting grip (described below).
FIG. 2 shows a prior art putter as held by a player using a conventional putting grip. As seen in FIG. 2, the traditional putter 1, having a shaft 8 only 33 to 35 inches in length l, only extends as far as the waist area W of the player P. Therefore, the player P must bend over somewhat to swing the prior art putter 1 to contact the golf ball 2 with putter head 4. Grip 6 extends along the top of putter shaft 8, and extends approximately 12 inches downwardly from the end of the putter shaft 8. The grip 6 has a flattened front face 10 (see FIG. 1).
In the prior art method, the player P holds the prior art putter 1 by placing the left hand H.sub.L on the top portion of the grip 6 and the right hand H.sub.R just below the left hand H.sub.L on the grip 6. This configuration is for players who are considered "right handed." Left handed players would have exactly the opposite configuration, and as such the "left handed" configuration need not be separately described. The thumb of the left hand H.sub.L is placed such that it rests on the flatted front face 10 of the grip 6 and is pointing downward. Likewise, the thumb of the right hand H.sub.R is placed such that it rests on the flattened front face 10 of grip 6, just below the left thumb. In this configuration, the player may P swing the prior art putter 1 by bringing the putter backwards toward the right shoulder ("backswing" B) and then accelerating the putter forward toward the left shoulder ("downswing" D) to strike the golf ball 2 lying, for example, on a putting surface S.
On problem with the prior art putting method described above is that the position of the elbows E and wrists R are such that they are prone to involuntary movement during putting, i.e., they can "break" during putting.
The prior art putting method shown in FIG. 2 does not prevent such involuntary movements in the wrists R and elbows E, and therefore can cause inaccurate putting.
Recently, a second type of putter has been offered as an alternative to the prior art putter described above. An "extended length putter" 1' uses a putting head similar to the prior art putter described above, but uses an extra long shaft 8 that can be from 48 to 50 inches in length l', and uses two hand grips 6', 6" spaced apart from each other on the shaft 8'. The upper hand grip 6" has a generally-circular cross-section to match that of the shaft. The lower hand grip 6' is shaped similarly to the traditional putter in that it also has a flat front face 10' to position the thumb in a downwardly-pointing configuration according to the prior art putting hand grip described above.
FIG. 3 depicts a typical extended length putter 1' as used by a player P. As shown in FIG. 3, the 48 to 50 inch length l' of the extended length putter 1' places the end of the putter generally near the player's sternum T, allowing the player P to stand more erect while putting the golf ball 2. This position may be particularly helpful for people susceptible to back injuries. The left hand H.sub.L of the player P is placed on the upper grip 6" in an inwardly-facing palm position, such that the thumb opposes the fingers to form the grip.
Upper grip 6" is shaped in a generally circular cross-sectional manner. The right hand H.sub.R of the player P is placed on the lower grip 6' in a manner similar to the right hand grip for the prior art putter described above, i.e., with the thumb pointing downward. The lower grip 6' has a flattened front face 101 to allow the player P to easily position the thumb in the conventional grip. As with the prior art putter of FIG. 1, when using the extended length putter 1', the player brings the putter backward toward the right shoulder, and then accelerates the putter forward toward the left shoulder to strike the golf ball 2 with the desired force.
As with the prior art method of FIG. 2, the prior art putting method shown in FIG. 3 does not prevent involuntary movements in the wrists R and elbows E, and therefore can cause inaccurate putting. This is because the position of the elbows E and wrists R are such that they are prone to involuntary movement during putting, i.e., they can "break" during putting.
The goal of players in perfecting a putting stroke is to be able to perfectly gauge the amount of force imparted to the golf ball upon impact with the putter head and the direction at which the golf ball will be accelerated after being struck. If the player can control the putting stroke in this fashion, then the putting aspect of the game is reduced to "reading the green," i.e., determining where to aim in order for the golf ball to roll into the hole. It has been found by golf teachers and professionals that the most accurate and consistent way to perform a putting stroke is to swing the putting club by keeping the wrists and elbows locked in the same position throughout the swing, and moving the putter by rotating the shoulders. This "pendulum" swing uses the large body muscles in the upper back, and results in a swing that is smooth, controllable and repeatable. Players who are considered to be among the best putters generally use the pendulum swing.
The problem with both the traditional putter 1 and, to a certain degree, the extended length putter 1'--and the swing techniques used for either--is that players tend to move their wrists and/or elbows during the backswing and/or downswing portions of the swing (also know as "breaking the wrists" or "breaking the elbows"). By breaking the wrists or elbows, the plane of the swing and/or the face of the putter head can become skewed, resulting in a putt that is off-line and of a varying speed from what was intended by the player. Players are often susceptible to this condition at undesirous times, for example, for important putts during a tournament or where a prize is at stake. The situational stress associated with these critical shots may cause muscle tension in the smaller muscle groups of the arms/wrists, causing unwanted wrist or elbow motion.
It would therefore be advantageous to develop a putting club and a putting method that are able to force the player to use the pendulum swing every time, even under stressful conditions.